Associated equipment for nursing units



Jan. 8, 1952 A. M. ALLEN 2,581,340

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT FOR NURSING UNITS Filed April 18, 1947 InventorADDA Mv ALLEN wwpmwww Attorneys I April 24, 1951.

Patented Jan. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES OFFICE AS SOOIATED EQUIPMENTFDRJNURISING Adda M. Allen, Arlington, Va.,.assignor1to :Dis-

posahle Bottle Corporation, =Washington, D. 0., a corporationofsDelaware ApplicationrAprilim, 1947,5e1ialNo. 7421377 The material ofthe container portion, and the manner in which it is formed, isdescribed in-my copending applications Serial No. 710,744 filedNovemberl9, 1945 and Serial No. 717,105, filed December 19, 1946 nowPatent No. 2,550,034, dated The-neck ring to which the flexilolecontainer is attached is of the general type disclosed in my earlierapplications, Serial No.

526,354 filed "March 14, 1944, which issued as Patent No. 2,448,569 andSerial No.'560,'6l0 filed October '27, 1944, which issued as Patent No.

2,446,451, in that the neck ring or collar comprises two parts which aresuitably detachably locked together to seal the open end of "thecontainer'between'them, one of the parts having an upwardly extendingneck with a'bead thereon for the'attachment of the ni ple.

The object of the present invention isto'provide apparatus for "use inassociation with nursing units of the character referred to, which willfacilitate the convenience and sterile handling and storing or thenursing units at the time of their use. With respect to the constructionof the nursing units, and the materials employed therein, thedisclosures .of the copending applications referred to are made a parthereof by reference.

In the drawings:

Figure ,1 is a side elevational viewrof a nursing unit suspended from agrill or rack in a refrigerator.

Figure 2 i a view of a portion of a tubular strip of the plastic filmused to form the hood of the nursing unit.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of a contractile clamp, as employed inFigure l 'to'seal ahood over the nipple and to-suspend, the nursing'unit'from such as'a refrigerator grill.

Figure i is a partial side elevational view of the neck ring of anursing unit, using a modified form of clamp.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the clamp employed in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of a nippleprotecting hood.

Figure '7 is a cross sectionalview of the hood of Figure 6.

Referring to Figure 1, the transparent retractable nursing container ofthe type specifically described in my copending application Serial No.

:2 717,105, "is indicated --'a't i 0. The open end of "said oontainericonnec'te'd with "a collar 12, which is -'only generally indicated. Thecollar comprises an 'outer ring "and an inner ring, which are suitablyconnectedtogeth'er, the open end of the con tainer "being 'se'a'l'edbetween these rings in any suitable manner, preferably employing agasket to insure the seal, generally in the manner re- *ferred "to in myPatents Nos. 2,448,569 and 2,446,451. Theinner'ring is formed with aninwardly tapering flange T4 which has a central outwardly extendingtubular neck with a nipple attaching "bead 'l 6 thereon, a indicated indotted lines in Fi'gurel. Thenipple 18 is tightlysecured over the headf6, anda hood 20, ashereina'fter described, is placed over and aroundthe nipple and is secured thereto by a-contractile clamp 22 oftheformshown in Figure "3. The hood is made of the same transparent film as thebody portion 1 '8 of the container, and in a manner hereinafterdescribed.

By means of "a'supporting rod 24 having upper and lower hook portions 26and 28, the entire unit is suspended from an overhead support, such asthe grilliifi of a refrigerator. Thus, after the nursing container isfilled, and the nipple applied -thereto, the unit maybe'store'd in anormally unused space inthe refrigerator, sterile and protectedcondition.

Referring "to Figure 3, the clamp 22 may consist of a pair of armspivoted together as at 32, one arm comprising a semi-circular portion 34and an integral handle portion 38, whereas, the other arm comprises:integr'a'l corresponding portions '38 and 40. There is a compressionspring 42 :suita'bly'im'ounted between the handle portions 36 and whichspring normally urges the opposite jaws of the clamp toward one'anotherin order Ito contract the clamp about the lower open end of the hood'20,asin'dicated in Figure l, to seal theosame against the outsidesurface ofthe nipple i8 below or on the maximum diameter of the latter. Theextreme cndsof the clamping portions. and may lb.e"beve1ed or suitablyformed to fit against ,one another to complete the closing action of theclamp, asindicated at M in Figures lan'clB.

J'It is'obvlous that the clamp may-be removed or applied with oneihand,by simply pressing handle portions 36 .and 40 toward one another. Whenpressure is released, the spring 42 will cause the clamp to firmlyengage around the hood and against the nipple. Of course, if the nippleis not appliedto the collar,-the same action would be accomplished bycausing the clamp to lock the 3 hood around and beneath the bead 18 ofthe collar.

Another form of clamp is shown in Figures 4 and 5, comprising anelongated strip of material, such as thin sheet metal, which is adaptedto form a cylindrical locking portion 46 around the hood and nipple, inapproximately the position shown in Figure 4. This strip of metal isprovided with opposed slits 50 and 52 which engage one another as shownin Figure 4 to lock the clamp around the nipple. ,One end of this stripis suitably formed to provide a hook portion 54, which can be used tosuspend the clamp and the nursing unit from the refrigerator grill inthe same manner as is generally illustrated in Figure 1. It will benoted that the hook portion 5!; is arranged in the lower edge of one endof the strip adjacent to the slit 59 in the upper edge thereof in suchmanner that the clamp will have a tendency to be tightened by the weightof the nursing unit when it is suspended, as described.

In Figure a modified type of hood52 of the same plastic material isshown, this hood being of sack-like form, and having its closed endfiattened and bonded together by heat as at 60 in order to provide afinger grip for the hood. The lower open edge of this hood is suitablyfluted as at 62, so that it will slip over the nipple and will expand atits open end to seal over the nipple, as will be apparent. This type ofhood might be used with or without the clamp previously described.

While the suspension means for the clamp may vary, the embodiment ofFigures 1 and 2 include a suitable eye 64 on one side of the clamp, towhich the lower hook 28 of the rod 24 may be removably connected.

It is preferred to form the hoods from the same material as is used inthe manufacture of the container bodies. This material may be suppliedin tubular form as shown in Figure 2, the tubing being flattenedthroughout, and at spaced points being bonded together transversely, byheat, as designated at 66 and 68, thus forming in the tube a pluralityof sterile, closed, substantially rectangular envelopes 70. When it isdesired to form a hood, the tube may be severed along the lines 12 and Mto provide a single closed envelope, and when the hoods are required foruse, two of them can be cut from each envelope by a simple diagonalscissors cut 76, which may be made across the envelope as shown. Thiswill provide two identical hoods open along the diagonal line 16, butclosed along the lines 72 and M, and of course closed along the foldlines 80 of the tube. When the hoods are placed over the nipple, the endof the latter extends up into the closed corners 82, and the open loweredges 76 of the hoods will extend downwardly around the nipple to apoint adjacent the top surface of the flange l4.

Referring to Figure 1, the neck ring or collar may be of types asdescribed in the copending applications referred to, or it may be of theform generally as illustrated in the drawings. In this illustrated form,the collar is constructed of two concentric rings, which are snappedaxially to gether, the gasket sealing the open end of the containeragainst the inner ring, and against an annular ledge around the innerring as shown. It is the inner rig which is providedwith the flange 4l4, and with the throat on which the nipple receiving bead l 6 iscarried.

While I have described hoods of the type shown in Figures 1 and 6,simple tubular hoods of diameter substantially equal to the maximumdiameter of the nipple 18 may be employed. For example, long tubes ofplastic film as shown in Figure 2 could be manufactured, but of smallersize, i. e., of inside diameter about equal to the maximum diameter ofthe nipple l8. Such a tube could be provided with transverse bondsspaced apart a distance slightly greater than the height of the nipple.Separate hoods of tubular form, open at their bottoms and closed attheir tops are formed by cutting them air from the long sheet just aboveeach transverse bond. Such hoods could be clamped in sealing relation onthe nipple in the manner previously described.

It will be observed that I have provided associated equipment for thenursing units which will be of pronounced usefulness in supplying,filling and handling the containers of pliable film, as

described.

Iclaim:

1. A sterile nursing unit adapted to be supported from the grill of arefrigerator, comprising a thin, transparent flexible and retractiblecon tainer portion, an annular neck ring having means for securing anursing nipple thereto, a hood for said nipple made of the same materialas that of said container and having a closed top and open bottom topass over and protect the nipple, and a contractible clamp adapted togrip around the open bottom of said hood and seal the same against saidnipple, said clamp having means on one side thereof including a hookportion for suspending said unit by said clamp from the grill of therefrigerator with said neck ring canted from the horizontal yetsupporting the flexible filled container in a substantially verticalposition.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said clamp comprises athin elongated strip of flexible material having cooperating notchestherein to lock the same around said nipple, said strip having at oneend thereof a hook portion to engage the grill of the refrigerator tosuspend the unit.

ADDA M. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 554,071 Matzen Feb. 4, 18961,414,904 Thorbjornson May 2, 1922 1,521,369 Hamersley Dec. 30, 19241,649,580 Geisler Nov. 15, 1927 1,716,262 Dishart June 4, 1929 1,721,644Sovatkin July 23, 1929 1,890,482 Weissberg Dec. 13, 1932 2,089,416Pearce Aug. 10, 1937 2,118,791 Hines May 24, 1938 2,252,235 SnellingAug. 12, 1941 2,258,395 Tome Oct. 7, 1941 2,265,075 Knuetter Dec. 2,1941 2,274,258 Roselle Feb. 24, 1942 2,290,564 Krueger July 21, 19422,398,505 Pepin Apr. 16, 1946

